Jimmy Graham
Jimmy Graham (born November 24, 1986) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played only one year of college football at the University of Miami after playing four years of basketball. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. Graham has also been a member of the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.
This article is about the American football player. For the Scottish footballer, see Jimmy Graham (footballer).Personal information
November 24, 1986
Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S.
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
265 lb (120 kg)
Miami (FL) (2009)
2010 / Round: 3 / Pick: 95
Active
719
719
8,545
89
In his second season in the NFL, Graham had 99 receptions for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. That year, he made his first Pro Bowl appearance and was selected as an All-Pro player at his position. He became the first tight end in Saints history to have more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season.[1] He set the Saints franchise record for receptions in a season while also tying the Saints franchise record for touchdowns in a season.[2] Graham is second all-time for most receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by a tight end in a single season.[3]
In only three seasons, Graham set the Seahawks franchise record for the most receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns at the tight end position.[4]
Early years[edit]
Graham was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina to a black father and a white mother.[5] Graham had a difficult upbringing. At age 11, his mother placed him in a group home where he was physically beaten by older children. In high school, with help from a church youth counselor who took him in and eventually adopted him, he improved his grades, became a basketball star as a sophomore at Community Christian in Wilson, North Carolina,[6] and at Charis Prep in Wilson, North Carolina, where he played as a high school junior and senior and earned a basketball scholarship at Miami.[7][8][9]
Personal life[edit]
Graham began working with at-risk youth and military veterans through the Jimmy Graham Foundation.[131] In 2020 and 2021, his work with the foundation earned him a nomination from the Chicago Bears as their nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.[132]
Graham is a pilot and became co-chairman, along with aerobatic champion Sean D. Tucker, of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Young Eagles program in July 2018, which introduces children between the ages of 8 and 17 to general aviation.[133]
In May 2023, Graham was hit by a car while bicycling in Miami, suffering a laceration on his calf that required stitches. According to friend A. J. Hawk, Graham stated that he did "more damage to the car than the car did to him."[134][135]
On August 19, 2023, Graham was taken into custody in Newport Beach, California reportedly due to a medical condition related to seizures.[136]